Question: What about the observance by Muslims of Ramadan today? President Bush honored it, as did ...

Question: What about the observance by Muslims of Ramadan today? President Bush honored it, as did Clinton and others before him. You said last month that the hajj simply carries on pagan practices. But isn’t the Holy Month of Ramadan with its fasting between sunrise and sunset purely Islamic?

Answer: No. Ramadan was practiced by pagan Arabs for centuries before Muhammad was born. Both history and the Qur’an confirm this. During Ramadan, Muhammad received the first inspiration for the Qur’an: “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an...” (Surah 2:185). Equally interesting is Surah 2:217: “They question thee (O Muhammad) [about] warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn men from the way of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the inviolable Place of Worship [is] worse than killing....”

Obeying this “revelation,” Muhammad led his followers in attacking a caravan during that “sacred month,” surprising the pagan Arabs who for centuries had refrained from fighting in that period. This was Muhammad’s first success after three previous failed attacks upon caravans—the start of his rise to power as others joined him in Islam to share in the booty.

President Bush hosted an Iftaar dinner for Muslim leaders at the White House last November honoring what he called “the holy month of Ramadan.” In his speech he said, “According to Muslim teachings, God first revealed His word in the holy Qur’an to the prophet, Muhammad, during the month of Ramadan.” To call Allah “God,” the Qur’an “holy” and God’s “word,” and to honor Muhammad as “the prophet” is inexcusable. Bush further extolled Islam: “The world continues to benefit from this faith and its achievements.” In fact, this “faith” is the bloodiest religion the world has ever seen, being responsible for the slaughter of many millions of persons in the past and of most terrorism worldwide today. Please write to our President to complain about his continued praise of Islam.